seven suppers: vegan biryani.

i love biryani, but cooking it has always seemed like an ordeal. traditionally it is cooked “dum pukht” or by its own steam. an ancient persian method was to bury the dish in hot sand and leave to cook. nowadays it’s often cooked in cay pots, but you can work with just a pot & a large saucepan. the thing about biryani is the flavor, it needs a lot of spices. it is also not a “one pot” dish, the rice has to be cooked separately. the beauty of the dish is that it’s got so much in it, so don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients. you can add or subtract many of the items to make it just how you like. i have tried a few recipes but haven’t found one that was vegan. a vegan biryani is also a bit of an oxymoron, as indian food is almost always cooked in ghee (clarified butter), but here we go.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups basmati rice

2/3 cups water plus 2 1/2 cups water for rice

2 tablespoons coconut oil plus 1 tablespoon for rice

1/2 small white onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

5 cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon tumeric

1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons golden raisins

2 tablespoons raw cashews

1 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 medium carrot, cut into small pieces

1 cup chopped eggplant

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons shredded coconut

a handful of fresh mint leaves

directions:

make the rice. heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in pot and add in the turmeric, cinnamon stick & cardamom pods and stir until fragrant. add in the rice & stir until lightly toasted (about a minute)

add in 2 1/2 cups water & bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer

make the veggies. melt 2 tablespoons coconut oil in large saucepan that has a lid